Class highlights

I took this class to fulfill a GE requirement that I needed. However, I am very grateful I did because it totally broadened my senses of mass media and its impact on myself as well as the people around me. It's obvious to see the tools available to us, but from analyzing these tools we have at our disposal in class and seeing the way media has affected and will continue to affect our lives was something I would never have thought about had I not taken this class. Before I took this class, I think I had a slight understanding of the impacts of media and the first amendment. However, now I can say that my understanding has broadened so much and I can even see the different effects that each type of media delivers. Also, after watching the first amendment and looking at cases involving the first amendment, I've learned just how important it really is for anyone involved in any type of media and the freedom it grants us. I definitely do not regret taking this class and it was great that I took it with people and a professor that made the class fun and interesting!

Media Ethics/Law

The article I found in regards to media ethics involved a seminar in Cairo, hosted by the Ethical Journalism Network (EJN) and the Egypt Media Development Program (EMDP). Experts from Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Norway Britain, Iraq, Tunisia, Morocco, and Jordan. The issue revolved around proper training of journalists to avoid Hate Speech in media involving the middle east. I think this an important issue because of the crisis in the middle east involving ISIS and because of the negative stigma associated with the middle east fueled by western (mainly the United States) news.

Seminar in Cairo

Advertisements

Coca Cola Advertisement

This advertisement utilizes the technique of glittering generalities by assuming that if you buy a coke product, you'll get to share it with a friend, rekindle an old relationship, strengthen a current one, or begin a new one. It also utilizes the simple solutions techniques by implying that if you buy their product, you will automatically make new friends or strengthen your old friendships.

Old Spice Advertisement

This advertisement for Old Spice deodorant uses the advertising technique testimonial by showing Neil Patrick Harris, as a former TV doctor, recommending the product for its body odor protection. The advertisement also uses the technique "Wit and Humor" to divert the audience. In the picture Mr. Harris is supposedly a doctor, but he is looking at the camera instead of his patient and his stethoscope is over the patient's nose as the patient stares angrily back at him. Neil Patrick Harris is a comedic actor so he makes the advertisement funny by being in the picture and diverting the attention from the blatant advertising of Old Spice.

Favorite Song

Favorite Song of 2013/2014: My favorite song from 2013-2014 would be Mirrors by Justin Timberlake. This song is pretty sappy but I liked it because of it has an interesting analogy of comparing someone you love your other half so it's like you're looking into a mirror.

Favorite Oldies Song: My favorite oldies song would be Dreams by Fleetwood Mac. I really like the band Fleetwood Mac and this is one of their iconic songs and one of my personal favorites.


Justin Timberlake - Mirrors

Fleetwood Mac - Dreams

Magazine Proposal

Name: S.O. (Sweetness Overload)

Concept: My magazine will showcase the many different variety of sweets available to eat. The variety of delectable sweets in the magazine include chocolates, candy, cake, etc. 

The magazine will also have articles on how to make certain sweet foods, stories about sweet foods, the origin of certain sweets, etc.

Readers: Any person interested in or loves to eat delicious sweet candy and chocolates. Also, people who are interested in cooking and baking sweet foods. The income range will be from middle to high ranged individuals or families. 

Other Competitors: There are many candy and chocolate catalogs out there that would be considered competitors. There is also a magazine called "Candy Industry" who would instantly become our competitor if this magazine were to get started. 

5 Advertisers: There would be many candy and chocolate companies who would love to be invested in our magazine. Some examples would be Hershey's, Ferroro Rocher, Lindt, Haribo, and Nestle. 

5 Potential Articles: 

- The 5 Greatest Types of Candy Ever Invented
- How to Make a Killer Pound Cake
- The Creation of the Gummy Bear
- The Lie Scientists Tell You about Diabetes.
- A Healthy Way of Consuming Sugar

Books: The Catcher in the Rye

In high school, I had a pretty hipster English teacher. He always assigned his classes interesting books that were controversial in their time. One of the books he made us read was The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. This book was very controversial at the time of its publishing. A schoolteacher in Ohio was fired for assigning the book to his class (but later retained his job after winning his appeal). A community of people protested against the book in Ohio, calling it "antiwhite", and protested for the banning of the book from school curriculum. Later in 1980, the murderer of John Lennon showed this book as evidence and reasoning for his crime. Personally, I really enjoyed this novel. The story's protagonist is a teen boy coming into adulthood. He runs away from his private school and his predetermined future to spend three days exploring the streets of New York discovering along the way the true nature of the world around him which he had been so sheltered from. I think this book is a perfect read for students in high school, but I can understand why it was so highly protested because there are certain "discoveries" the protagonist finds on his journey that I think children would not quite understand the concept of. Also, there's like one F-bomb in the entire novel which of course protesters latched onto and allowed them to slap a vulgar language label on the novel. For me, going through the typical rebellious phase of my life in high school, the novel really connected me with the protagonist and I often found myself thinking about what I would do or say in the situations he was put into. I think the book is great because it underlines the motifs of self discovery, teen angst, etc. that many high school-aged people can relate to. Overall, I'm really glad my teacher assigned this book for me to read and I recommend it for people who have not read the novel yet.

amazon link (the book's super cheap): The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

My experiences with media: Past until Present

• Books: I used to read a lot when I was child, and I steadily began to read less and less as I grew up. Now, I only read books that are required for my classes. I think reading was very important before simply because I loved fantasy title series such as Harry Potter and "A Series of Unfortunate Events" that allowed me to peer into another world and experience it through words. I don't think there are too many negatives about reading except that it might be bad for your eyesight if you read in the dark.
• Newspaper/News: I rarely watch the news out of choice. Whenever I watch the news, there are always stories about kidnappings, war overseas, etc. that I would rather not watch simply because it would make me feel worried. 
• Magazines: I don't really read magazines, but when I do, it tends to be magazines that are of interests to my hobbies. For example, I read a lot of skateboarding magazines such as "Thrasher" to see stories about my favorite skaters or to see epic photographs of them doing amazing tricks at famous skating locations. 
• Movies: I've watched movies ever since I was a little boy until my present age. I find movies to be really entertaining because there's always a story to tell and it's great to see what a group of actors, directors, cameramen, etc. (whether or not they be well-known or amateur) can achieve when they work together to make a film. 
• Audio: Music has always been a big part of my life. I play the piano and guitar so I have an understanding for rhythm and sound. I love music because there are so many songs that can explain, through sound, exactly how you are feeling and so many different stories inside songs that can be tragic, fun, or so confusing that you spend hours trying to decipher their meanings. 
• Radio: I only listen to the radio when I'm in my car. I like a lot of talk-show radios where people call and talk to a radio host about their personal problems or an issue in the world. I think a negative thing about radio is that it sets a standard for mainstream music that some people may dislike which is why some people hate listening to the radio.
• Television: I used to watch a lot of television when I was little. Presently, I watch a lot of shows on Netflix. I like that there is so much diversity in TV shows that almost anyone can find a show that they think is interesting to watch. I think TV can become very addicting because of this and make people lazy.
• Internet: I have had the internet ever since I was little. I played computer games a lot growing up, so I'm really used to the worldwide web. I think the internet is great because there is an endless amount of knowledge recorded in the internet. However, I think the internet can also be very addicting and can have a negative impact on someone's life if they spend too much time surfing the web, playing computer games, etc.  

I have never had a job in the media although I think it would be pretty great to be a reporter or a talk show host. However, I do realize that these jobs are very selective, and it can often be a case of "who you know, not what you know" for many careers in media. I'm a biology major, so I could be involved in the media by discovering something new that furthers the biological field of knowledge such as finding a cure for a disease that lands me into a newspaper, the news, etc.